Confidence grows in rail supply chain

A new poll suggests that confidence in the rail industry is growing again, in what the Railway Industry Association described as a ‘positive sign of growing optimism about the future’. More than 260 rail industry leaders were surveyed by Savanta on behalf of RIA, and the results included the fact than 45 per cent of those questioned were now predicting growth in the sector in the coming year, while the number expecting a contraction has fallen from 36 per cent in 2020 to 31 per cent now. When asked about their own businesses, more of the people polled were optimistic, with 60 per cent predicting growth in the coming year compared to 51 per cent in 2020. RIA said this was a return to the levels seen before the pandemic in 2019. RIA chief executive Darren Caplan said: ‘With passenger numbers coming back to the network, reaching around 65 per cent only a few months after restrictions have eased, and freight returning to 100 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, it is clear that rail has a strong future ahead of it. However, we can’t take our foot off the pedal when it comes to rail investment – more can still be done to increase sector confidence in the months and years ahead.’